Men patrolled the borders, watching Panua with keen eyes. The order had been issued to bring any messengers directly to the emperor. Captain Ovidius suggested the emperor sat in grave danger by waiting for word from the governor until sunset the next day. Caius gave the appearance of listening, but his thoughts were on today’s events. His conclusions regarding the Lady Virga had far exceeded his hopes. The writings he’d collected over the years had given him an insight to her intelligence and wit, but he had been completely astonished at the woman’s grace and beauty. Word had circulated for years about the sister of the governor: reputed to be a cool beauty, her face resembling carved marble, her figure lithe and trim, and her aloof and calculating manner similar to her adoptive grandmother’s. Caius had been intrigued when he read her first scroll to Rome, which had landed in his hands by accident. Virga had written to request permission to view documents pertaining to Panua and Rome, from decades-old treaties to political appointments of bygone days.
